^well,when I was in Antwerp I remember that place distinctly as I was around the area of Groenplaats daily. To me it was very comparable to the likes of Zara. That said,this was a few years ago so I don't know if they tweaked the style of their range or now....but it looked a bit cheaply.

Mango is somehow more wellmade, more expensive but more tacky than Zara, they obviously aim to bring a much needed creative edge to their collections

for those interested in the full wwd article, here you go

Quote:

A Mango Fashion Awards ad.
BARCELONA — While most fast-fashion retailers are scrambling to sign big-name designers, Mango is hoping to spot the talent a little earlier.

On Wednesday, the retailer unveiled plans for an international fashion competition called El Botón (The Button) Mango Fashion Awards. The competition is open to designers 35 years old and younger who have produced at least two commercial women's wear collections.

The prize is 300,000 euros, or $385,000 at current exchange, along with professional guidance on establishing the designer's own label.

"I like that Mango will be contributing to the world of young design talents," said Ricardo Agostini, creative director of Mango, during a news conference at the Palau de la Musica Catalana here.

Asked if this was his company's riposte to H&M's most recent collaboration with Viktor & Rolf, Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld, as well as Gap's partnership with Roland Mouret, he said, "We don't want to focus on large, important designers."

But, in a sense, Mango has done just that. The publicity shots for the awards feature models dressed up to look like John Galliano, Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood, with a caption urging candidates to "Be the next..."

Agostini also stressed the new award would go to a designer who already has produced and sold two collections.

"It's a different award that will focus on entrepreneurs, people who have already been brave," he said. "Lots of awards target brand-new students. I think we've found an original niche."

Mango's chief executive, Enric Casi, said he wanted the size of the prize to speak volumes. "We wanted this to be the biggest fashion award, and, economically speaking, it is," he said.

Five international design schools are backing the program: London's Central Saint Martin's, the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, Istituto Marangoni in Milan, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the Escola Superior de Disseny in Barcelona.

The first phase of the competition began Wednesday: Designers could download an application form from the Web site mangofashionawards.com.

The retailer plans to whittle down the field to 50 applicants, who will then be judged by a panel including representatives from Mango, various fashion houses and publications and the design schools. In May, the panel will announce 10 finalists, who will each receive 18,000 euros, or $23,000, to produce a runway collection in four months. Those lines will be presented to judges at a final ceremony in September, when a winner will be chosen.
"[The entries] are going to be a good mixture of commerciality and creativity," said Chistopher New of Central Saint Martin's, referring to the company's decision not to open the awards to designers who have never sold collections.

Antoni Garell, director of the Escola Superior de Disseny, agreed. "The problem [for designers] isn't in the first two or three years. It's after that, when they've tested the market and been accepted and are then hit by problems in the manufacturing process," he said.

Mango executives said the winner would not necessarily produce a collection or work for Mango. "The focus is on the award," said Agostini. "It's not linked to the impact [of the collection] on Mango's points of sale," he said.

Agostini said the company would discuss with the winner whether his or her collection should be sold at Mango, possibly under its higher-end Limited Edition collection. If the collection does go on sale, a spokesman said it is likely that it would be within Mango's price points, which typically range from $20 to $250.

The announcement of the awards comes at a time when Mango is ramping up its expansion plans, especially in the U.S. The 22-year-old company opened stores in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Seattle's Bellevue Square earlier this year, with 15 more American stores planned by the end of the year. An 8,000-square-foot U.S. flagship at 561 Broadway in Manhattan is set to open next fall. Mango currently operates 1,000 stores worldwide.

Mango is somehow more wellmade, more expensive but more tacky than Zara

hmm I don't go to Mango too often, but I've rarely seen crazy clothes there. What they display is pretty laid back, their store in Turin is quite small so I may have only seen selected items.
The Zara store is right next to Mango and it gives me an instant headache whenever I enter there :p

in terms of the competition, i think it's an excellent oportunity both for new designers and for Mango, but i'm pretty sure the winners will be mainly students of the schools co-hosting the competition.
still, dont take this at heart and if you already had at least two commercial collections out, give it a try.
the fact that mango is willing to cover expenses for the entry collection makes this competition real worth participating

mango's price range is posted at the wwd article
dont you have less than 20 euro pieces at your local Zara hanne?
here at Zara you can buy a 9 euro blouse (or less) but its very rare to find anything over 150 euros..

so mango really costs more than Zara and yes sure, Mango is much less sofisticated (or 'updated' or well made) than Zara

Sure there are pieces for less than 20 Euros at Zara in Copenhagen, but you can get a top for 8 euros at Mango as well.

If you're looking at the two chains top 'selection' in terms of fabric quality and price.. I'd say Zara comes out on top each time.. but then again that could have to do with the fact that the Zara store in Copenhagen is far bigger than the Mango

I am part of a New York-based arts organization, Art For Progress. We are hosting an art and fashion competition. Go to artforprogress.org. for the details. The winner will be part of our New York show during Fashion Week September 2007.